1
as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
grammatical rules that seem arcane to generations of students who were never taught grammar in the first place
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cryptic
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
the rebate form uses arcane language, the only purpose of which seems to be to disqualify buyers from actually getting a rebate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mysterious
being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain
my predecessor in this job obviously had his own arcane system for filing things, and so I haven't a clue as to where anything is
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of arcane
In truth, Ferrari’s in-house Centro Stile has long got used to translating the arcane requirements of the company’s tech bros into something visually stimulating.
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Jason Barlow, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
On the sidelines, where people pored over arcane PowerPoints of voter data, the mood was grimmer.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
The company’s games were streamlined and approachable, in contrast with more arcane competitors that, especially in the early days of PC gaming, seemed to demand that players reference dense manuals at every turn.
—Jason Schreier, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024
In 2019, Google claimed its Sycamore quantum processor performed, in just 200 seconds, an arcane numerical generation task that would have taken a classical computer 10,000 years to complete.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arcane 
Jason Barlow, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
On the sidelines, where people pored over arcane PowerPoints of voter data, the mood was grimmer.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
The company’s games were streamlined and approachable, in contrast with more arcane competitors that, especially in the early days of PC gaming, seemed to demand that players reference dense manuals at every turn.
—Jason Schreier, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024
In 2019, Google claimed its Sycamore quantum processor performed, in just 200 seconds, an arcane numerical generation task that would have taken a classical computer 10,000 years to complete.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for arcane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arcane
Adjective
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The automobile’s pontoon fenders and single rumble seat are esoteric enhancements, while the lack of door handles only further refines the extremely clean lines.Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
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There’s hardly any esoteric metaphors to be found in this far-reaching work.Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Because what Ken was doing at first was really all vibes: the all-black dress code, the grungy photography, the cryptic social media presence.Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2024
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Both artists also dropped cryptic videos from Sydney’s iconic Luna Park before the performance.Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Ku Bar Best described by locals as both comforting and mysterious.Jenn Rice, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
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Ashworth, 92, grew up in poverty, mostly in South Austin and East Austin during the 1930s and '40s, after his mysterious father abandoned the family.Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The rats also taught me something profound one morning during the pandemic.Kelly Lambert, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024
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This simultaneously funny and profound musical spins around a teenage girl (the lovable Carolee Carmello) suffering from a rare genetic disease that makes her age five times faster than normal.Karen D'Souza, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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To minimize misinterpretations, providing clear guidelines for writing test instructions and avoiding ambiguous phrasing is key.Asad Khan, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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Sunny is the creation of Suzie’s husband, who died under ambiguous circumstances, leaving her alone in their life in Kyoto.Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The show is a mystic library, full of places that no longer exist.Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
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This is the art of a Zen master or masterful art, the poetry of a mystic, or the grace of a selfless act of leadership.Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The pair will likely stay in that obscure piece of real estate for the next 24 to 48 hours.Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
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At times, the actors spoke their lines from obscure corners of the cavernous playing area.Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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An avid artist from an early age, Burton’s uncanny style of drawing is inspired by these films — along with gothic novels, expressionist paintings, holiday rituals and even the illustrations of Dr Seuss.Tacita Quinn, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
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One of her own drawings, a sort of Hansel and Gretel scenario, will also play a part in the action, which is ripe with echoes and reflections and uncanny parallels, along with dead people who might be ghosts or visions or psychological projections, or some combination thereof.Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near arcane
Cite this Entry
“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arcane. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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